Expectations

• describe how the elements of design are used to create the area of emphasis (focal point) in a work of art.
• describe how elements of design are used to create formal (symmetrical) and informal (asymmetrical) balance in compositions

Introduction

Almost all good art is a result of careful design. This is especially true when it comes to graphic novels. Not only must you create a picture that tells part of a story, but you must also integrate the other elements of the form, such as narrative boxes, thought and word bubbles, and even the size and shape of each panel must be considered.
In the art component of your manga, you will be evaluated on how you apply the concepts of balance and scan paths to your work. We will spend the next two lessons learning about balance in general, and specifics on how it is applied to manga. We will do a few exercises to practice these concepts, then you will then have a lesson and a bit in which to create a rough draft. I also want an artists log in which you explain why you did it the way you did. I will collect these and make suggestions for improvement, and return them. In the meantime we will have a couple of lessons on how to draw manga characters. I will also want an artists log on why you chose to draw your charaters the way you did. You will then be given 5 lessons in which to produce the finished manga, which will be marked for both the Art component, and for how well you summarized the story and used the conventions of manga for the English component.

Development

1. 5 min - Introduction
2. 5 min - Show a number of exemplars of 50:50 symmetry and 1/3:2/3 symmetry, show how to find the symmetry in the exemplars. Also point out the scan paths in the pictures.
3. 5 min - Show how to layout balanced symmetries on the blackboard, build a picture around them and label the scan lines.
4. 5 min - Show examples of asymmetric balance in the exemplars. Also point out the scan paths in the pictures.
5. 5 min - Show how to layout asymmetric balance on paper, using the allegory of a set of balance scales, build a picture around them and label the scan lines.
6. 5 min - Show examples of any scan lines not already seen.
7. 30 min - Introduce the activity (below). Circulate among the students and make anecdotal observations.

Application

Hand out legal sized paper and have the children divide it into four sections. For the remainder of the lesson have the students do 4 quick and dirty line drawings in black pencil showing examples of each type of balance. They can either use some of their planned scenes for the manga or some random picture. They should make sure their guiding lines for creating the balance are visible. They should mark their focal point(s) and scan paths using green pencil as demonstrated.

Assessment

Collect the sketches and provide formative feedback before the next lesson.

Instructional Aids

Have an anchor charts for types of scan lines and symmetries posted in the classroom for the children to refer to during their activity.

Reference Material

http://www.bluemoonwebdesign.com/art-lessons-index.asp - a series of lessons on the principals of formalism.
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/ - WebMuseum - famous artworks - mostly talk but there are a number of usable images if you look
http://www.abcgallery.com/ - Olga's gallary - online art museum

Art Exemplars

From Principals of Design, Davis Publication, Worchester, Mass. and Elements of Design, same publisher:

• The Mill on the River Pegnitz shows asymmetrical balance and a right to left scan path
• Cistercian abby barn by Tim Doest show symmetrical 1/2 balance
• The Harvest by Stan Herd shows a symmetrical 1/2 ballance and a circular scan path.
• Basatho House by Emmily Maphesla shows both 1/2 and 1/3 ballance
• My Gems by William M Harnell shows both 1/2 and 1/3 ballance and a triangular scan path.
• Spring by Peter Bruegel The Elder shows asymmetrical balance and a meandering scan path

Expectations

• organize their art works to create a specific effect, using at least two of the principals of design specified for this grade.

Introduction

We are going to apply the principals of balance to the layout of your manga panels. There are many things to consider when laying out your panel such as size, shape, number, and that the same principal we discussed yesterday apply equally to panel layout as they do to paintings.

Development

1. 5 min - review the plan of upcoming lessons, and remind them of the different types of ballance discussed in the last class.
2. 10 min - Discuss the various ways to split a page into multiple panels. This will cover whole page panels, 4 and 6 panel symmetrical, asymmetrical and nested images. Remind them of the KISS principal. Discuss what should go in different sized boxes (e.g. important or introductory scenes should go in larger boxes and smaller boxes are best used for quick developing action)
3. 10 min - review scan paths. Discuss how the scan path within a panel and between panels should intersect word and thought bubbles and lead the reader across the page.
4. 35 min - start work on rough draft.

Application

Hand out a couple of sheets of 11x17 paper for their rough drafts, as well as lined paper for their artistic logs. The students will be given the rest of this period and the whole of the following period to complete a rough draft of their manga. This rough draft should show the panel layout, and the layout of the contents of the individual panel. Balance lines and scan paths should be shown as in the exercises in Lesson 1. See the next page for details on assessment

Instructional Aids

Data projector, internet access, suitable Comic Panel and Layout Tutorial from the net. Print this out and distribute to the students.

Reference Material

Images taken from the inner space tutorial.

Art Exemplars

Description

This is to be a rough layout of their final project. It will contain the layout of the panels (size, shape, and number). Each panel will have an outline sketch of the contents, including voice, thought, and sound effects bubbles, and narrative panels. The layout will also indicate the balance and scan paths of each panel. The student will include at least three different examples of balance. This must include one example of symmetrical and one of asymmetrical balance. The student will also include at least three different scan lines among the panels. The student will also produce an artists log explaining why they chose the particular panel characteristics, and why they chose the particular balance and what elements of the panel they are using to provide the ballance.

Due Date

End of lesson 3

Medium

Pencil and paper

Size

1-2 11x17 pages.

Materials

Assessment

The rough draft will be evaluated using the following checklist. In addition, formative assessment will be provided to help. The artists log will be evaluated on the attached rubric and the mark recorded.

Expectations

Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicates a variety of ideas for specific purposes and to specific audiences, using a variety of art forms

Introduction

Manga is distinguished from comics not only because it's subject matter is typically more "adult", but also by the particular style of the characters. These stylistic elements include the typical large eyes and small mouths the genre is famous for. This lesson will cover these aspects of the manga character. Remember that I will be asking you to hand in a rough sketch of the character and a log on why you are drawing them as you did. That is how his features reflect his character.

Development

Application

1. 10 min - show the basic proportions of the manga face - start with an egg shape, draw a vertical line to keep it symmetrical, draw a horizontal line half way down to mark the top of the eyes, draw a line halfway between that and the bottom of the face to mark the end of the nose and eyes, and a line halfway between that and the bottom to mark the mouth. Remember to exaggerate different parts of the anatomy. Use larger eyes for more innocent/younger people, smaller for older/more sinister. Use longer and more pointed heads for the same reasons.
2. 10 min - show how to draw basic eye shapes - almond, slit, triangular, trapezoidal
3. 10 min - hair demonstrate basic hair styles for men - slick back, spiky, and normal.
4. 30 min - application
5. The students will spend the remainder of the class practicing drawing heads and eyes. They are to play with proportion and exaggeration.
   

   Instructional Aids

   Print the following pages for the students to reference: http://www.cablenet.ne.jp/~japanime/tutorial/head.html http://animeworld.com/howtodraw/faces.html

   Reference Material

   Image from Akemi's Anime World - http://animeworld.com/howtodraw/faces.html,  How to draw manga hair, Manga Tutorials http://www.mangatutorials.com/tut/eyebasics.php, and Rocket's How to draw Manga page - http://members.tripod.com/~incomming/ Also see http://www.tutorialguide.net/how_to_draw_manga_eyes_tutorial.html

   Art Exemplars

   Accommodations

   If the child cannot create a character sketch the will choose from a set of pre-made manga characters and describe why they chose them in their artistic log. They will then cut these out and use them to produce their final manga.

Expectations

Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicates a variety of ideas for specific purposes and to specific audiences, using a variety of art forms

Introduction

They eyes are the windows to the soul, or so they say. This is especially true in manga, where the eyes are the principal means of showing emotion.

Development

1. 5 min - Review the expectations for today's lesson. Go over the handouts on expression using the data projector or smartboard. point out the features that convey the particular emotion in each example.
2. 15 min - With a partner, take turns showing the different emotions the characters in their story may feel while their partner quickly draws a manga face showing the emotion.
3. 15 min - brainstorm with class how different features can be used to convey character and how you might show that on a manga character. Think about hair, shape and size of face, nose, and especially eyes.
4. 25 min - Application

Application

The students should spend the remainder of the class thinking about and sketching the protagonists of their story. They will also record in an artists log what characteristics they are trying to show and what features they will use to convey that. The log and a sketch of each protagonist will be handed in for evaluation according to the attached rubric.

Instructional Aids

Print out the following 2 tutorials for the children.
http://www.mangatutorials.com/tut/expressions.php - emotional expression
http://www.cablenet.ne.jp/~japanime/tutorial/expressions.html - more expressions

Reference Material

Art Exemplars

Description

Produce a complete, colored, 1 or 2 page manga based on the rough draft created in lesson 3.

Due date

End of lesson 10

Medium

Pencil or watercolors

Size

1 or 2 11x17 sheets

Materials

paper, pencils, watercolors

Assessment

The art portion of the assignment will be evaluated according to the attached rubric. The student will also hand in a self evaluation in which he will do two stars and a wish. That is they will talk about two things they are proud of, and one thing they wish they could do over. They should also give themselves a mark out of 10 as to how well they applied the principals of balance to their final product. This self evaluation will be due at the beginning of the next lesson.

Manga Mania - http://www.teachnet-lab.org/motthallschool/asalcedo/Manga%20Quest/manga…
How to dress your manga character in casual wear
http://www.scribd.com/doc/92337/How-to-Draw-Manga-Dressing-Your-Charact…
http://innerspace.notonigon.com/?p=8 - Inner Space: Comic panel layout tutorial
http://lilrivkah.livejournal.com/169915.html - Paneling, pacing, and layout in comics and manga #2
http://www.mangatutorials.com/ - Manga Tutorials - eyes, clothing, emotional expressions, etc.
http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/howtodraw/tutorials.html - Manga University - How to Draw Tutorials
http://animeworld.com/howtodraw/index.html - Akemie's Anime World - How to Draw Anime Style
http://www.bakaneko.com/howto/index.html - BakaNeko - Everything you wanted to know about drawing (and not just anime)
http://www.uusikaupunki.fi/~trkakulm/kotisivut9.html - Many how to draw links